The 10-Minute Skill That Changes Everything
The difference between "meh" and WOW THAT'S AMAZING!
Hey friends,
Quick question: How many times have you tried ChatGPT, gotten a garbage response, and thought “this AI thing is overhyped”?
Earlier this week, my guy Tony called me. Pissed.
“Aye man, I’m trying to do what you said and just typing to this ChatGPT to make this email for me. I asked it to write an email to my landlord about my broken AC and it sounds like a bad legal document written by a robot having a bad day.”
I said, “Tony, read me exactly what you typed.”
“Write an email to my landlord about AC.”
Yes, I got his permission to share this story lol
[Head hits desk]
Friend, that’s like walking into a restaurant and saying “food please” then getting mad when they bring you plain toast.
AI isn’t the problem. Your prompts are.
And I’m about to fix that in the next 10 minutes.
The Difference Between Amateur Hour and Pro Level
Here’s Tony’s prompt vs. what I taught him:
Tony’s Version: “Write an email to landlord about AC”
What ChatGPT Gave Him: “Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to formally notify you of a malfunction in the air conditioning unit located at the premises...”
(Kill me now.)
The Pro Version: “Write a friendly but firm email to my landlord Jim. The AC has been broken for 5 days in 90-degree weather. I’ve texted twice with no response. I need it fixed TODAY or I’m calling a repair service and deducting from rent. Keep it under 5 sentences. Sound frustrated but not hostile.”
What ChatGPT Gave Him: “Hey Jim - It’s day 5 without AC in this heat, and I can’t do another night. I’ve texted twice about this already. I need someone here TODAY, or I’m calling a repair service myself and taking it off next month’s rent. Please confirm you got this and when someone’s coming. Thanks.”
BOOM. Problem solved. Jim had someone there by 4 PM.
The Secret Formula Nobody Teaches You
Every perfect prompt has these 5 ingredients:
1. CONTEXT - Who are you? Who are you talking to? Bad: “Write an email” Good: “I’m a freelance designer emailing a client who’s 30 days late on payment”
2. SPECIFIC GOAL - What do you actually want? Bad: “Help me with my resume” Good: “Add 3 quantifiable achievements to my resume that show I increased sales”
3. FORMAT - How should it look? Bad: “Give me ideas” Good: “Give me 5 bullet points, each under 10 words”
4. TONE - How should it sound? Bad: [Saying nothing about tone] Good: “Professional but warm, like talking to a colleague I respect”
5. CONSTRAINTS - What are the rules? Bad: “Make it good” Good: “Under 100 words, no jargon, 8th-grade reading level”
Real Examples From This Week
Realtor in Lincoln Park: Before: “Write house description” After: “Write a 3-paragraph MLS listing for a 2-bed condo in Lincoln Park. Highlight: walkable to everything, updated kitchen, tons of light. Tone: exciting but not salesy. Include one specific detail that makes buyers picture living there.”
Result: All open slots to view the house are filled, first time ever.
Manager at a Tech Company: Before: “Help with performance review” After: “I’m writing a performance review for a good employee who needs to communicate better. Give me 3 specific examples of how to phrase ‘you interrupt people in meetings’ as constructive feedback that won’t crush their soul.”
Result: Employee actually thanked them for the feedback.
Parent Planning a Birthday Party: Before: “Birthday party ideas” After: “I need 5 dinosaur-themed activities for 15 six-year-olds, using stuff I already have at home, that will keep them busy for 20 minutes each. Nothing messy. Apartment-friendly. Include one that will tire them out.”
Result: Best. Party. Ever. (And kids actually napped after.)
And a separate one, my friend is using Claude to help him and his wife brainstorm naming ideas for their child! It’s amazing when you prompt properly.
The Copy-Paste Templates That Always Work
Save these. Use them. Thank me later.
For Writing Anything: “Write a [TYPE OF CONTENT] for [AUDIENCE] about [TOPIC]. Tone: [FEELING]. Length: [CONSTRAINT]. Include: [MUST-HAVE]. Avoid: [NEVER-DO].”
For Solving Problems: “I’m a [YOUR ROLE] dealing with [SPECIFIC PROBLEM]. I’ve tried [WHAT YOU’VE ATTEMPTED]. Give me 3 solutions I haven’t thought of. Explain each in 2 sentences. Focus on what I can do TODAY.”
For Learning Something: “Explain [COMPLEX TOPIC] like I’m [KNOWLEDGE LEVEL]. Use an analogy about [FAMILIAR THING]. Give me one thing I can try right now to understand it better. Keep it under 100 words.”
For Awkward Conversations: “Help me say [DIFFICULT THING] to [PERSON]. Context: [RELATIONSHIP/SITUATION]. I want to be [TONE] but not [WHAT TO AVOID]. Give me the first sentence and the last sentence. Make it feel natural, not rehearsed.”
The Mistakes That Make AI Useless
Stop doing these immediately:
❌ Being vague: “Make it better” ✅ Be specific: “Make it 50% shorter and add a joke”
❌ No context: “Write a post” ✅ Give context: “Write a LinkedIn post announcing my promotion, humble but proud”
❌ Asking once: Getting one response and giving up ✅ Iterate: “Good start, now make it more conversational and add specific numbers”
❌ Wall of text: Cramming everything into one massive prompt ✅ Break it down: Start simple, then add layers
❌ Fighting the robot: Getting mad when it doesn’t read your mind ✅ Guide the robot: Tell it exactly what you want, like training a smart dog
The Game-Changer Most People Miss
Here’s what blew my mind as I’ve been researching and refining prompts for a couple years now, and what truly LAUNCHED my productivity to the moon:
You can teach AI your style. Once. Then use it forever.
Watch this:
“Here are 5 emails I’ve written: [paste them]. Analyze my writing style - how I start sentences, words I use often, how I structure ideas. Create a ‘style guide’ for writing like me.”
Then, every future prompt: “Using my style guide, write...”
BAM. Everything sounds like you.
My realtor friend did this. Now every listing sounds like her, not Generic Real Estate Robot #47.
Your 10-Minute Challenge
Right now, while you’re reading this, do this:
Open ChatGPT or Claude. (I chose Claude)
Think of one annoying thing you have to write this week
Use this exact formula:
“I need to write a [WHAT] to [WHO] about [TOPIC]. Context: [1-2 SENTENCES OF BACKGROUND] Goal: [WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN] Tone: [HOW IT SHOULD FEEL] Length: [WORD/SENTENCE LIMIT] Must include: [KEY POINTS] Must avoid: [WHAT NOT TO SAY]”
Watch the magic happen
Reply to this email with what you created
Seriously. Do it now. Before you forget and go back to typing “write email about thing.”
The One Thing (This Changes Everything)
“The difference between AI that sounds like AI and AI that sounds like you is exactly 37 words of context. Most people give 5.”
Count the words in your prompts. I’ll wait.
The Thing I’ve Been Building
Look, I’ve been teaching this stuff one-on-one for months. Same questions. Same lightbulb moments. Same “holy WOW, why didn’t anyone tell me this?”
So I built something.
It’s almost ready. Like, scary close to ready. Like, I was gonna launch it today but, here we are lol
And when it launches, people who’ve been reading these newsletters will know first!.
Just saying. 😉
I’m so passionate about this. Prompting is the entire game with these tools. If you know how to prompt, your productivity is going to go through the roof.
This is the culmination of thousands of hours of working, interviewing, and chatting with people. Testing, iterating, and testing again. I want to lead with value and put you on EASY prompt street.
MORE ON THIS REAL SOON.
Think About This
What would change if every AI interaction you had actually gave you what you wanted on the first try?
Not the third attempt. Not after 20 minutes of frustration. First try.
That’s the difference between people who say “AI is overhyped” and people who can’t imagine working without it.
Which one do you want to be?
Let’s Talk About It
My neighbor just started using AI for her Etsy shop descriptions. Used to take her 20 minutes per product. Now? 2 minutes. And they convert better. MUCH BETTER.
She’s not technical. She’s 67. She learned this in one afternoon.
The prompt that changed everything for her: “Write a 3-paragraph Etsy description for [PRODUCT]. Customer is likely [DEMOGRAPHIC] looking for [NEED]. Include: how it feels to use it, why it’s perfect for gift-giving, one unexpected use. Tone: friendly neighbor recommending something they love.”
Sales up 40% this month.
From better prompts. That’s it.
Stop fighting the robots with bad instructions. Start commanding them with good ones.
Yamas (and go fix your prompts),
Dex The Chicago AI Guy ❤️
P.S. – My sister just asked me to help write an email to her HOA about our neighbor’s tree. My prompt: “Write an email that says ‘your tree is about to fall on my car’ without starting a neighborhood war. Professional but with subtle ‘I know a lawyer’ energy. 4 sentences max.” It worked. Tree guy coming Tuesday.
P.P.S. – That thing I’m building? You’ll know when it’s ready. Trust me. But maybe start practicing your prompts now. You know, just to be ready... 👀
P.P.P.S. – Still using one-sentence prompts? That’s like trying to paint a masterpiece with a crayon. You can do it, but why make life harder?
Time saved by using good prompts vs. bad ones this week: 4 hours. Time spent teaching Tony how to prompt: 10 minutes. Tony’s AC: Fixed. The robots work great when you speak their language.